


Starlit Mountaintops

by Burgie



Category: Star Stable
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-10
Updated: 2020-07-10
Packaged: 2021-03-05 00:26:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,149
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25175332
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Burgie/pseuds/Burgie
Summary: Ydris's quest to uncover the mystery of the 'doors' leads him to an unexpected destination.
Relationships: Ydris/Mario
Comments: 3
Kudos: 11





	Starlit Mountaintops

Ever since Ydris had first arrived on Jorvik, he had been fascinated by how different things were here. One would expect that, this being the world that he would someday destroy, Ydris would not enjoy his time here. Certainly would not allow himself to get attached to anything. And oh, yes, the people here could certainly be pretty and interesting. Sometimes both at the same time. He had, admittedly, also fallen in love with the horses, often wondering what it might be like to run free as a horse. Not that he had ever found reason to try doing such a thing.

It was the night sky, however, that Ydris had most fallen in love with. For, when the day gave way to dusk, gradually transitioning into pinks and purples to match his tent (they were also his favourite colours), stars began to pierce the expanse of sky. And those stars, of course, reminded him of home. Home, where the Panda rays flew through the air, giving happy chirps as they flapped and spun around, the larger ones once hunted by his people when his people had existed. Oh, what he wouldn’t give to go back there.

Night on Jorvik was a curious phenomenon, though. For, in the darkness of the night, lights appeared at different points across Jorvik. Curious, Ydris had followed the direction of one of these lights one night into the great forest of Greendale, ignoring the blue and white horse who had snorted at him before continuing on his way. Also ignoring the singing that he heard, the siren song that was not just from a rift to his world being open so closeby. At last, Ydris had been puzzled to find a white contraption set into the ground in the forest, one that appeared to be a door. Crouching down, Ydris had run gloved fingers over the five-pointed star marked into the door, brow furrowed in concentration as he tried to puzzle out this mystery. There was a strange sound coming from beneath the door, mechanical in nature. What could this possibly be?

Ydris had returned to his wagon, to page through the many books that he had in an attempt to shed light on this mystery. No knowledge had been forthcoming, and he had at last resolved to ask any Jorvegian who came by.

“The… doors?” one girl asked him, brow furrowed above her glasses. “Yeah, I’ve heard of them. My friends and I talk about them all the time, but we can’t quite figure out what they are.”

“How many are there?” Ydris had asked, leaning over the fortune telling table in the little fortune teller’s tent that he’d set up in order to gather information under the guise of telling fortunes. People could reveal quite a lot when they were trying to figure out what the fortunes meant, he had found.

“There are four that we know of,” the girl had said. “However, the circles on each point of the star suggest that there might be one more.”

“Do you know where this final door might be?” Ydris had asked. The girl had smiled at him.

“What’s gotten you so interested in the mysteries of Jorvik all of a sudden?” the girl had asked. “Planning on inviting the doors to be part of your circus?”

“Are they sentient?” Ydris had asked. The girl’s laughter had been all the answer he needed. But he would not rest.

“Alright, fine, we think that the final door might lie beyond Northlink, if they ever finish that construction,” the girl had said. Ydris had brightened.

“Thank you! And, er, which way lies Northlink?” Ydris had asked. The girl had laughed and, leaving the tent, pointed to where Ydris could just see gondolas passing to and fro in the distance.

“I see,” Ydris had said, squinting, shading his eyes with his hand. “Thank you, Louisa, you have been quite helpful.”

“You’re welcome,” Louisa had said, smiling in amusement at him.

Though Ydris longed to solve the mystery right away, he knew, however, that the show must go on. And so he waited, continuing to give fortunes and put on shows to dazzle and amaze his audience until the sun began to sink behind the hills. Only then did he regretfully inform his audience that he must now close up for the day, and waited for them to leave before he, too, left the Highland.

“Where are you going?” Zee asked as she watched Ydris climb over the short stone fence that separated the Highland from Silverglade Acres.

“I, Zee my dear, am off to search for the mystery of the mysterious lights,” said Ydris in a manner that he knew was quite grandiose. Zee rolled her eyes, disliking it when her friend acted the spectacle in front of her.

“I’m glad you have a hobby,” said Zee. “I won’t wait up for you, though.”

“Can I not even convince you to give me a ride?” Ydris asked. Zee stomped her hoof, giving a ‘neigh’ that was all the answer that he needed.

Resigned, Ydris set off, grumbling about the walk for a few moments before he brightened up. Perhaps he could summon a Shadow Seeker to carry him! Or, he considered as he passed a runestone, perhaps that would be a terrible idea. The druids were always watching, after all. Walking it was.

By the time he passed a field full of… rabbits, Ydris was very much reconsidering his idea to make this journey on foot. Perhaps, if he flew up above the clouds, the druids would not see him? But no, best not risk it. He was pretty sure that Shadow Seekers didn’t like to travel too far above the ground, anyway.

At last, Ydris reached the end of the road, frowning in annoyance at the way that it simply ended in a blocked-off tunnel. He sighed, hands on his hips, tapping his foot. Were he in Pandoria, he simply could have floated the rocks out of the way or ridden a Shadow Seeker over the fence. Alas, here, things must be done the human way. The normal way. The boring way.

But where was everybody? Had they gone home? Dear gods, did everyone in Jorvik simply stop working once the sun went down? Perhaps they were powered by the sun. That was a curious thought.

“Excuse me? Is there anyone here?” Ydris called. He could really use a drink right now, and a place to sit down, but the end of his journey was in sight! It didn’t even matter that there was no telltale light shooting up into the sky, the other ‘doors’ having already lit up (he could faintly see one in the direction of the Hollow Woods from here), perhaps there might be something wrong with this one. His curiosity would not let him rest.

“Yes, hello, hello? Is there somebody down there?” another voice called, and Ydris looked up to see a man standing on a hill. He had a glorious orange mustache to match his orange hair.

“Ah, hello! Do you work here?” Ydris called up to him.

“I oversee things, certainly,” said the man, and chuckled at his own little joke. “I’m afraid the workers have gone home for the day, was there something that you needed?”

“Yes, actually,” said Ydris, giving the man his best smile. “I seek passage to Northlink, to solve the mystery of the doors.”

“The what now?” the man asked, and even from here, Ydris could see the look of confusion on his face.

“You know, the doors that shoot light up into the sky,” said Ydris.

“Ah, if you’re after night sky phenomena, you’d be better off talking to Mario,” said the man. 

“Mario?” Ydris asked. Despite how long he’d lived on Jorvik now, he had, admittedly, not spoken to as many of the residents as would perhaps be wise.

“Fellow up at the observatory,” said the man. “He’s got a bit of a French accent like you.”

“Oh?” said Ydris. Perhaps this man could be a fellow Pandorian, trapped on earth as well? “And how might I reach him?”

“Well, time was, you’d need to go all the way to Valedale and then find the path up to the observatory,” said the man. “But now, you can just take the gondola lift that was installed recently. Very handy, that thing.”

“Oh, thank goodness,” said Ydris, glad that his journey had almost reached its end. “Thank you, kind sir!”

“Give him my regards, will you?” said the man as Ydris rushed around the corner, forgetting, in his haste, to even ask the man’s name or where the gondola lift was even located.

Fortunately, Ydris soon found the lift, sighing in relief as he sat down on the chair within the lift and was taken up to the next station. He did have to hop off quickly, though. What kind of a madman had designed this thing?

The stars were just beginning to appear in the sky as Ydris made his way up the path to the observatory. He could hear voices, and paused, curious. There was a voice that he recognised, and one that he didn’t, though he did recognise the accent that he often affected as part of his show.

“I often find myself wanting for company, up on this lonely observatory cliff,” the Frenchman was saying.

“Tell me more, little prince,” said Ydris, at last revealing himself to the two who were speaking. The other speaker did, in fact, turn out to be Louisa, turning her buckskin North Swedish Horse to look at him.

“Ydris, what are you doing here?” Louisa asked.

“I could ask the same of you, little dove,” said Ydris. But he had eyes only for Mario. The man’s blue eyes were stunning, his hair spun gold. Had such a gem truly been hiding from him up in the mountains for all this time?

“Ah, but who is this?” Mario asked, taking in the sight of Ydris. Ydris fought the urge to ensure that he looked good, instead sweeping low into a bow.

“I am the great Ydris, entertainer extraordinaire, here in Jorvik with my Circus of Dreams,” said Ydris. “Little did I know that there was yet a magnificent night owl waiting for me in the mountains.” Mario’s cheeks flushed pink at the praise.

“Thank you for your flattery,” said Mario. “Though, I must agree with Louisa- what brings you up here?”

“I came seeking answers,” said Ydris. “Yet I feel magic in the air.” He ignored Louisa rolling her eyes at the cheesy line. Seriously, there was magic in the air, as of a wish about to be made. “Could it be that you were about to make a wish? Wish on a falling star, perhaps?” He had heard that Jorvegians did such things, though falling stars where he came from were caused by poor unfortunate souls falling into Pandoria.

“Indeed, I was,” said Mario. “I simply wish for company on these lonely nights, that is all.”

“Then it shall be my great honour to fulfil that very wish,” said Ydris.

“Oh, come on, Ydris, that line was cheesy and you know it,” said Louisa. Just as a grey and white striped Jorvik Pony materialised in front of them, coat shimmering with stardust, a mark on the pony’s forehead blazing with the same blue as its eyes. “Oh.”

“I call this creation Vega,” said Ydris. “And she shall be yours, dear Mario, if you but accept my gift.” He looked at Mario, holding the man’s gaze. Mario gaped at the pony, looking from it to Ydris and then to the starry sky around them.

“I-I thank you for your gift, Ydris, though I am afraid that I must decline,” said Mario. Ydris’ face fell, his heart sinking.

“Whatever for?” Ydris asked. “Does it not suit?”

“She is perfect, Ydris, I only regret that I do not have a place in which to keep her,” said Mario. “The stables at Valedale are much too far for me to travel when I must work here every night, and the observatory or a cliffside is no place for a pony to live.”

“Ah,” said Ydris, still crestfallen. “I see.”

“But perhaps you could be my company on these long nights?” Mario asked. Ydris and Louisa both looked at him, Ydris’ heart soaring in his chest.

“Truly?” Ydris asked.

“Yes,” said Mario, nodding. Ydris grinned fit to split his face in two.

“Louisa, do take Vega back to my circus tent,” said Ydris. 

“Okay,” said Louisa, shrugging as she unhooked a lasso from her saddlebag and looped it carefully around Vega’s muzzle as a kind of bridle. “C’mon, Vega, let’s go.” The pony was only too happy to trot off with her, and Ydris was only too happy to step closer to Mario. His night had not yet begun.


End file.
